


Infinite: Returning - Arc 1 of the Aincrad Infinity series (First Draft)

by Cedar Lowell (moonflower_writing), moonflower_writing



Series: Aincrad Infinity [1]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), Sword Art Online (Light Novels)
Genre: Adult!Asuna, Adult!Kirito, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Back to Aincrad, Dad!Kirito, Dude who sent everyone to Infinite Aincrad isn't actually evil, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Infinite Aincrad is basically Aincrad, Kirisuna is the main ship, Mom!Asuna, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other ships are minor, Other ships are planned, Pregnancy, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, Unplanned Pregnancy, Yui as a Player, Yui becomes real, Yui has True Intelligence, Yui is not an AI anymore, but a little different at the same time, minor spoilers though, their real bodies are in Infinite Aincrad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 09:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonflower_writing/pseuds/Cedar%20Lowell, https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonflower_writing/pseuds/moonflower_writing
Summary: 20,000 people are sent to Aincrad, but, this time, with no escape and a never-ending number of floors. Kirito and Asuna must adjust to their new surroundings and fast, for the clock is ticking, and they must find the creator of Infinite Aincrad before it's too late.Their lives in the real world are over, but, in Infinite Aincrad, their lives are just beginning.Don't Like, Don't Read!





	1. 1.1.1 - Return

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not exactly happy with the way the story is going, so it'll probably change in later drafts, but I'm sticking with where the story's going for now. Go with the flow and just get words down, y'know?

The return was a blazing surge of fire in an otherwise idyllic day. Kazuto and Asuna had finally found a sort of peace in their lives, and they had fallen into routine, but, of course, it didn’t last. It had been less than 4 months since they moved into their new apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States of America when the fading feeling began. At first, it was so faint it was hardly noticeable, but it soon grew to something Kazuto couldn’t just push to the back of his mind and forget about. He was about to tell Asuna about his concerns regarding the feeling of waning - the feeling of nothingness that now enveloped his hands and feet, but he didn’t have the chance before that sharp, yet painless feeling exploded throughout his body, and everything went white.  
“What? White? Why is everything white?” Kazuto thought as he looked at the blanket of pure white surrounding him. Then came the realization that there was no sensation anywhere on his body. He couldn’t feel the floor beneath his feet. He couldn’t feel the wall he was leaning against on his shoulder. He couldn’t even feel air rushing into his nose as he tried to take a deep breath.  
A ping echoed through the otherwise soundless expanse of wherever Kazuto was before a menu appeared. The menu was not unlike the one he saw when creating an account to play Sword Art Online all those years ago, but Kazuto pushed the thought associating the two away.  
“SAO is gone,” he muttered to himself, but he couldn’t escape the feeling of dread seeping from his core. Kazuto quickly filled out the form detailed in the menu, convinced that this was simply a dream. If it wasn’t a dream… Kazuto didn’t want to think about that.  
Another ping rang out as Kazuto submitted the form, then a feeling of a wave rushed over him. Kazuto could finally feel something, but that something only made him worry more. That weight on his back was so familiar. Kazuto looked over his shoulder and saw it - Elucidator. Kazuto hadn’t seen that sword since Sword Art Online was defeated four years ago, but his memories of it were still crystal clear.  
Kazuto didn’t understand. He didn’t understand at all. Why was this happening? But, one thing Kazuto was sure of, was that this - whatever “this” was - is no dream. There’s no way Kazuto could’ve replicated that weight on his back so perfectly. Not to mention, there was no way he’d dream up something so crazy.  
“If this isn’t a dream…” he muttered before trailing off. He couldn’t even say it - his frightening thought of what might be going on, but the traces of doubt about those thoughts weren’t nearly enough to convince him it wasn’t true.  
Somehow, for some odd reason, he was being sent back to Aincrad. And, just as that thought crossed his mind, a window appeared in Kazuto’s vision.  
“Welcome Kirito! You are being logged in to Infinite Aincrad! Please wait.” Kazuto - no, Kirito - paled. He was right. He was right. He was going back to Aincrad.


	2. 1.1.2. - The Note in the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirito and Asuna's first few minutes in Infinite Aincrad. They look for the source of a mysterious voice, find a note in the shadows, and have a confrontation with Asuna's mother.

It was only moments after that sickening realization that he was being sent back to Aincrad when flecks of color filled the blank white canvas surrounding him. Red, green, brown, blue, there was an endless amount of specks of every color imaginable. A few seconds passed as more and more spots of color filled his surroundings. Then, the color seemed to mix in areas, eventually forming the blurry outlines of people and stone walls and some sort of sign, Kirito figured. Kirito didn’t have the time to figure out what the signs were before everything suddenly snapped into focus.  
A crowd was surrounding him, and there were faces he recognized on all sides of him. Asuna, Sugu - no, Leafa, even his mom and dad. They were all here, and that just made Kirito’s dread grow.  
“Where the hell are we?” Leafa asked. She was obviously agitated - her arms crossed with a confused pout on her face. Kirito almost didn’t want to tell her, but he had to. Just as he opened his mouth to respond to his little sister, a booming voice echoed around the courtyard they were standing in and answered for Kirito.  
“Welcome, Players! Welcome to Infinite Aincrad! Welcome to your new life!” the voice said.  
Kirito tried to figure out where exactly the voice was coming from, but it must’ve been impossible. It was echoing all over the place and there were too many hushed whispers coming from among the densely packed bodies in the courtyard.  
“Damn,” Kirito muttered, still frantically looking for the source of the voice. Still picking up no sign of whoever was speaking.  
Someone took Kirito’s hand and squeezed gently. “Kirito, calm down. Focus. We need to figure out what we need to do,” a sweet and distinctly feminine voice whispered into his ear. Asuna. Kirito could feel the tension in his shoulders melt away. A deep breath in…  
“There. That corner of the courtyard is masked by the shadows. A perfect place to hide if you don’t want to be seen by anyone,” Kirito whispered as he started shoving his way through the crowd with Asuna following close behind. They reached the shadowed area only a minute after starting their wade through the crowd to get there, but it was empty by the time they reached it nonetheless.  
Kirito grit his teeth and looked down the small alleyway that the shadows masked. He would’ve gone racing down it too, if Asuna hadn’t said “What’s this?” in a small voice. Kirito looked over at her, and was stunned when he saw what was in her hand. Was that… Yui’s Heart?  
“Why the hell would Yui’s Heart be over here?” Kirito asked no one in particular. Asuna held up a piece of paper instead of responding. When Kirito took the paper and opened it up, he saw the words “Welcome back, Kirito and Asuna. I hope this time we can enjoy our stay for longer” written in a messy scrawl across the face of the paper. What really made Kirito start to wonder, though, wasn’t the words, but the crudely drawn smiley face on the back of the paper.  
“What the hell?!” an older woman shouted at Kirito and Asuna. She had an older man behind her who was obviously trying to get her to calm down. Kirito paled when the woman pointed a finger straight at him. “You. You did this. Where are we? How do we get out of here?” she said, venom dripping from every word.  
“Mother! We’re just as confused as you are, so don’t go blaming all this on Kirito,” Asuna pouted. Kirito was confused, to say the least. This woman looked nothing like Yuuki Kyouko. For one, her hair was a chestnut-brown color not unlike Asuna’s instead of the normal dark brown hair.  
“Umm…” Kirito stammered only to be met with a look of utter hatred.  
“Mention the hair and you’re dead,” the woman, who Kirito could now most definitely tell was in fact Yuuki Kyouko, sneered. Kirito swallowed and nodded.  
“Mother. I know that you’re confused, but you don’t have to take it out on Kirito,” Asuna said in an attempt to defend her fiance. Unfortunately for her, Kyouko seemed to notice that Asuna was clutching Yui’s Heart in her hand and pressing it to her chest.  
“What’s in your hand?” Kyouko said with a look of suspicion. Asuna’s eyes grew wide, and Kirito took the opportunity to stand in front of her, barring Kyouko’s view.  
“It’s nothing you need to be concerned about,” Kirito ground out. He and Asuna had agreed to keep Yui a secret years ago, and he wasn’t about to let it slip when Kyouko was already angry.  
“Asuna, give me whatever you’re holding right now,” Kyouko commanded her daughter, holding out her hand expectantly. Asuna bit her lip, and small tears began to slip out of her eyes.  
“If you think I’m going to let you have Yui, you’re insane,” Asuna told her before turning and running down the alleyway. Kirito had no choice but to follow. He knew that Asuna had a falling out with her mother recently, but he didn’t think it was bad enough to warrant Asuna running away from her own mother at a time like this.  
“Asuna, slow down,” Kirito called after her, “I can’t keep up!”


	3. 1.1.3. - Selmburg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirito and Asuna go to Selmburg on the 61st Floor of Infinite Aincrad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to DawnRusi for helping me with the plot of this chapter. Find her on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnRusi/pseuds/DawnRusi

Kirito ran after Asuna for what felt like miles, but was really only a few blocks before she seemingly reached her destination. They were in a separate courtyard from the one they appeared in. It was the courtyard housing the Teleport Gate of the First Floor.  
“Wait!” Kirito shouted after Asuna just before she opened her mouth to issue the command that would teleport her. She stopped.  
“I’m going to Selmburg, Kirito. It’s one place where Mother won’t know her way around. She won’t be able to follow us there,” Asuna explained to Kirito. Kirito nodded.  
“Once we get there, I’m going to need you to tell me what the hell is going on,” Kirito informed her. Asuna looked at him, her eyebrows drawn together slightly and her lips pursed. Kirito took her hand for a moment and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze before releasing it.  
“Teleport: Selmburg,” Asuna commanded. She was enveloped in a bright, white light before she disappeared. Kirito followed suit shortly after.

Once Kirito manifested in the Teleport Gate Plaza of Selmburg on the 61st Floor of Aincrad - or, in this case, it was Infinite Aincrad, wasn’t it - Asuna grabbed his hand and led him down the cobbled streets. She stopped once she reached a particular apartment building close to an NPC bakery stocked with sweets and breads and pastries. There was an especially good restaurant around here too, from what Kirito had heard 4 years ago.  
Asuna was making a beeline for the door of the apartment building, but she stopped just before reaching the door.  
“What’s going on, Kirito?” she questioned anxiously. Something was wrong, and Kirito knew it, but he couldn’t shake his just-now-remembered hunger. Kirito let out a small sigh. He was about to suggest getting a bite to eat at a restaurant nearby - and claim that there’s no one here that would hurt them or anything when his stomach grumbled… loudly. He couldn’t help a small blush from forming on his face when Asuna raised an eyebrow before laughing.  
“Alright. I’m hungry too. Why don’t we get something to eat at Cecil’s Bistro? It’s nothing too pricey, but it’s still really good,” Asuna said, opening her menu to check the amount of Cor she had.  
“Sounds good to me,” Kirito told her with a faint smile.

Cecil’s Bistro was a very nice place in comparison to Kirito’s former haunts back in the days when they were in Aincrad for the first time. It was impeccably dusted and cleaned so there wasn’t a single speck of dust to be found. The tables and chairs were of a dark wood that contrasted nicely with the off-white walls and gray stone floor. Kirito was amazed at the sight of such a clean place.  
“Hello, and welcome to Cecil’s Bistro,” an NPC behind a counter made of the same dark wood as the tables and chairs told them as they entered. Kirito raised his hand in a stunned wave while Asuna led him over to a table next to a window that provided them a clear view of the street. They were handed menus by a different NPC than the one who greeted them only moments later. Opening the menu, Kirito was stunned once again by the sheer number of choices. Most NPC restaurants he had visited had a few good meals at maximum, but nearly every item on the menu here sounded delicious.  
“I recommend the grilled sea bass and maybe a side of gyoza?” Asuna said, “It’s my favorite meal here, so it’s what I’m getting anyway.”  
Kirito and Asuna ended up ordering the same thing. Two plates of grilled sea bass over white rice and two sides of gyoza. Kirito was practically drooling as their food was brought out and set in front of them.  
“Itadakimasu,” they said in unison before digging in.

They left with full bellies and content expressions, that’s for sure. The short walk back to Asuna’s apartment building was peaceful and relaxing, and Kirito would’ve been falling asleep if it wasn’t for the horrible feeling weighing at the back of his mind. Something was wrong. Asuna had laughed and been cheerful at their late lunch, but he knew her well enough to know something was bothering her. Something that had to do with the falling out with her mother, if his hunch was correct.  
The stairwell of the apartment building was eerily silent when they arrived. There was a smell of rain and ozone in the stagnating air around them. The shadows were getting longer as the lights of the ceiling above them were being obscured by a thin layer of dark gray clouds.  
“Rain? It rains here?” Asuna’s voice shook as she spoke. She knew that Kirito had caught on to her unease, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet.  
The rain came drizzling down only moments after they reached the safety of Asuna’s apartment. Kirito tensed a bit after he shut the door behind him.  
“Why don’t you go change? We might as well get comfortable,” Kirito suggested to Asuna. She nodded tensely, turned, and walked down the short hallway into the bedroom.  
Kirito changed into more casual clothes as well while Asuna was in the bedroom. After waiting for several minutes, Kirito realized that Asuna was not coming out of the bedroom any time soon. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and got up from where he had seated himself on the plush couch.  
“Asuna? Is everything alright?” Kirito called through the door of the bedroom after knocking lightly. He was more than just worried by this point. Whatever had happened between Asuna and her mother must’ve been bad. Asuna had never shut him out like this before. They’ve been through hard times together, and he knew that she trusted him, so why would she shut him out? It didn’t make any sense.  
After waiting for over two minutes for an answer from Asuna, he knocked again.  
“I’m coming in!” he called before opening the door to see his fiancee curled up on the bed. She was still in the same outfit as before too. There were tears in her eyes as she stared at the crystal droplet in her palm. Kirito went and sat on the bed next to where Asuna was laying and placed his hand over her empty one.  
“What’s going on? I know whatever’s happening is hard for you to talk about, but I can’t help if I don’t even know why you’re upset,” Kirito said. He was trying to be gentle, soothing, but he knew he probably just came off as awkward.  
“I-” Asuna’s voice cracked, preventing her from getting anything else out for a moment. “I don’t think now is a good time, Kirito,” she said quietly, turning her head away. Her voice had been so quiet that Kirito had to strain to hear her words over the pattering of the rain on the window of the room. Kirito was only worried more when Asuna told him that. He knew that the stress they were under right now wasn’t exactly good for talking, but he also knew that secrets and guilt and worry could get a person killed in this world. Asuna should know that too, so why would she keep whatever was bothering her a secret? Kirito was chewing on his bottom lip as he tried to think of what to say.  
“When will be a good time? Will there ever be a good time?” was all his thoughts were giving him, and he knew that voicing that was a bad idea - even someone as bad with words as him knew that. Kirito took a deep breath. A thought crossed his mind. He knew what he should say now. He turned even more so he could face Asuna completely.  
“I love you. I always will. No matter what - through thick and thin - I’ll always love you,” Kirito said softly. It was all he could do for now. Reassure her that he’ll always love her, that is.


	4. 1.1.4. - Asuna's Little Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asuna thinks about her little secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Pregnancy is present from this chapter onward.

It was peaceful that night. Kirito and Asuna had simply been lounging in the apartment for hours, enjoying the idyllic quiet of the evening. Or, they would be enjoying it if it didn’t feel so deeply wrong. Something was off, and they knew it. But, they ignored their premonitions for the time being. They needed time - time to regroup and to get over their shock at being back in Aincrad of all places. But, they didn’t have time. Kirito and Asuna both knew that this false peace wouldn’t last for long, but they were going to try to enjoy it in these precious few minutes that they had.  
Asuna had put Yui’s Heart into her inventory long before, still hesitant to bring her daughter into this place for reasons even Kirito didn’t know.  
“It’s our little secret, okay, Yui? Papa can’t know about this yet. It’s a surprise for him,” Asuna remembers telling her. Yui had giggled and promised to keep the secret, but would she keep that promise in a situation like this? Asuna curled up a little tighter.  
“I wonder if our little secret even exists anymore, Yui,” Asuna thought to herself. She could feel the tears growing in her eyes at just the thought that it was gone. Her little one. Her baby. Kirito still didn’t have a clue about Asuna’s pregnancy, and she was going to keep it that was for just a bit longer. She wanted him to know, of course, but, with his first big exam coming up, she didn’t want him to have to sacrifice any time that could be spent studying just yet. But, now, she didn’t even know if there was a baby anymore. She didn’t even know if her body was in the real world or Aincrad. It certainly felt like her real body was here in Aincrad, but she couldn’t be sure. Aincrad was supposed to be virtual, but it definitely didn’t feel virtual this time.  
Asuna snapped out of her thoughts when Kirito’s head dropped onto her chest.  
“Wha-” Asuna started before realizing that Kirito had fallen asleep. She smiled down at him - faintly - sadly. Petting his hair, she whispered a good night to him. Her secret could wait until he woke up, at least.


	5. 1.1.5. - Why Are You Here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klein shows up with Kirito and Asuna's families in tow.

Kirito was the first one awake the next morning; an unusual event, to say the least. The sunlight filtered into the room through the gray, cotton curtains that were left open through the night, and Kirito could hear the faint buzzing of people milling about in the street below. There was another sound too - one Kirito didn't recognize. A high-pitched tone followed by a lower-pitched one sounded for what must've been the fourth time since he awoke. Kirito sat up, the blankets sliding off of his upper body and exposing him to the frigid morning air of early November.

"God, it's cold," Kirito thought as he slid out of bed and made his way into the living room in an attempt to locate the sound. Eventually, the incessant noise led him to the front door of the apartment. Kirito hesitated in opening the door. Asuna was still asleep, and he didn't want her to worry or think he had just up and left for no reason. His curiosity at the noise ended up overcoming him, and he decided he would at least take a peek outside.

He opened the door to a dead-tired-looking Klein. Behind the red-head, Leafa, Kirito's parents, Asuna's father. It seemed that Klein had brought every member of his and Asuna's families.

"Oh no... This isn't good," was all that was running through Kirito's mind as he laid eyes on Asuna's mother. The new, lighter hair color still threw Kirito off a bit, but she was clearly angry with her eyebrows lowered and her mouth in a sneer. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

Kirito didn't notice that Klein was talking while he was distracted and panicking about the fact that Asuna's mother was here. In fact, he didn't notice until Klein put a hand on Kirito's shoulder and said, "Hey, are you even listening?"

Kirito looked at Klein with a dead-serious look on his face.

"Why are you here? Why did you bring everyone here?" Kirito said gravely. Klein's relaxed, but tired smile faded.

"Whoa, dude, is something wrong? I figured you'd want me to round up your family and bring them to you," Klein worried. Kirito bit his bottom lip and glanced back over at Asuna's mother, who was staring at him like a hawk at a hare - like he was her prey.

"You could say that," Kirito admitted to Klein, looking back at him. Klein was clearly about to speak when Asuna's mother shoved him to the side and took his place, causing him to stumble into Leafa.

"Well, are you going to let us inside or not?" Asuna's mother demanded. Kirito grit his teeth and lowered his head a bit.

"No. I'm not letting you in. I don't know what you did to upset Asuna that much, but I'm definitely not letting you in after that," Kirito ground out. After seeing Asuna's mother's unyielding stare, Kirito reached up and tapped on the green Color Cursor floating above her head to pull up the interaction menu. Kirito scanned the menu until finally finding the option he was looking for.

"Block" was what the button said. He tapped it, and a window asking if he really wanted to block all communications and friend requests from Erika popped up.

"So, her name is Erika here," Kirito noted. He looked up and directly into Erika's eyes as he hit the blue button with the white circle inside - the confirm button. She jumped slightly as a window must've opened in front of her. It was invisible to Kirito, but he watched as Erika's eyes scanned the window. She tapped the air where the button to acknowledge the notice must've been.

Turning to Kirito with a fire in her eyes, Erika said, "You've made a very bad mistake."

"I'll unblock you when Asuna forgives you," was Kirito's only reply. Erika sneered upon what seemed to be a realization.

"You still don't know anything, do you? It affects you so much, so I wonder why Asuna won't trust you with it? I do hope she lives to regret her decisions. You, on the other hand, can go die in a pit for all I care," Erika said. She turned on her heel and started to stalk off. She paused after getting a ways down the hall, stopping just before the stairs. She had realized that Shouzou and the rest of her family wasn't following her.

"You've gone to far this time, Kaa-san," a young man Kirito didn't recognize told her. He must be the avatar of Asuna's older brother, Kouichirou. Asuna's father, Shouzou - who actually still resembled what he looked like in real life, shook his head at his wife. Erika was fuming at that point.

"Uh... Do you want me to get her back to the first floor?" Klein whispered to Kirito. Kirito looked to Klein. He had obviously pulled an all-nighter rounding up everyone and getting them here.

"It's alright. You go crash on the couch or something. I doubt she'd accept any help from us anyway," Kirito told him. He was right. Erika wouldn't have accepted help from them even if she needed it desperately. She was already down the stairs and in the street by the time everyone that was left had filed into the apartment and found a spot to sit either in the plush arm chairs or on the equally plush couch or atop the rug.


	6. 1.1.6. - What's Happening?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirito sort-of figures out that Asuna's pregnant with his kid...

Kirito had finally found a spot for everyone in the living room of the apartment just before Asuna came out of the bedroom, looking sleepy, but fully clothed and seemingly as ready for the day as she could be. Kirito smiled nervously at her and scratched the back of his head as she stopped in the middle of the hallway, blinking and rubbing her eyes.  
“Umm… Hi?” Asuna said, still surprised at the crowd in her living room. There was a chorus of “hello” and “hi” and “hey” and “what’s up” from the group of nearly a dozen people crowded in the small space. Kirito walked up to Asuna.  
“Could you entertain the, erm, guests Klein brought over while I get ready for the day?” Kirito whispered to her. He was still in his pajamas, his hair sticking up wildly. Asuna nodded and walked over to the group as Kirito walked into the bedroom, opening his menu and equipping his day clothes. They were simple enough: a black shirt with black trousers and black boots with bits of silver metal - they were the same boots as the ones from his Hunting Outfit. He quickly combed his hair before returning to the living room to see almost everyone crowding around Asuna and clamoring about some thing or another. A tray of spilled tea was on the floor.  
“Does Kirito know?” he was able to hear his dad ask above the noise the rest of the crowd was making. Kirito quietly approached the only one not joining in the crowd - Leafa.  
“Uh… What’s going on?” he muttered into her ear, making her jump. Leafa whirled around to face Kirito. She had a frown on her face.  
“You could’ve at least told me I was going to be an auntie yourself,” Leafa pouted. Kirito was only confused by that.  
“You already know about Yui though…” he said. The confusion was certainly showing either through his expression or his voice because Leafa’s eyes widened.  
“Oh. You didn’t know? I figured Asuna would’ve told you. Then again, she didn’t really tell us. Kaa-san just happened to notice and ask about it,” Leafa rambled, seemingly embarrassed. Kirito was resisting the urge to pull at his hair and scream at everyone to stop making so much noise so he could just think and figure out what the hell was going on.  
Asuna seemed to notice Kirito was not only there, but about to blow up at everyone.  
“Guys! Stop making so much noise and crowding me already! You’re giving me a headache,” she yelled at the offenders. She wasn’t quite lying about the headache either. All the noise and people invading her personal space was starting to make her head throb. Luckily for both her and Kirito, everyone listened and stopped shouting over each other, drifting back to where they had been seated.  
Klein came up to Kirito and gave him a hearty slap on the back.  
“Congrats, dude!” he said exuberantly.  
“Congrats for what?” Kirito grumbled. He was tired of not knowing what was going on, and it was only nine in the morning. Kirito noticed the harsh stare Asuna had directed at Klein after his exclamation, but the recipient of said stare certainly didn’t.  
“For getting laid and getting lucky,” Klein said with a laugh, shoving him a bit. Kirito was starting to put the pieces together. First Leafa had mentioned something about being an auntie, which Kirito had assumed was about Yui, then Klein had congratulated him on… having sex apparently. Wait… Did Kirito… Did he get Asuna pregnant?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, so it'll most likely be changed in future drafts.


	7. 1.1.7. - What Do I Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirito reacts to finding out about Asuna's pregnancy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm not exactly happy with this chapter or the next several chapters, so they'll probably change in later drafts, but I'm sticking with where the story's going for now.

Kirito was more than just surprised. He was confused.  
“Why would Asuna hide something like that from me?” he thought. He looked up and met Asuna’s eyes. She looked… disappointed, but, when she turned to Klein, that disappointment turned into anger faster than dry grass caught fire.  
“Great! Just great! I had this big reveal planned for Kirito back in the real world, but then we were sent here, and, now, I don’t even get the chance to tell him myself!” Asuna shouted at Klein. She started to cry. Furiously wiping at her eyes, she grumbled, “Stupid. Why am I crying?”  
Kirito didn’t really know how to react with everyone else in the room. To be completely honest with himself, he wouldn’t know how to react even if he was alone with Asuna. There was a lot to process, and, with both his and Asuna’s families staring at Kirito expectantly, he wasn’t sure he could process it in time.  
“Move,” he grumbled to Leafa. She got up, and he flopped into the arm chair where she had been sitting. He leaned forward and put his face into his hands.  
“Guys, stop staring. You’ve gotta give me a few,” Kirito announced when he could still feel the gazes of everyone in the room on him. The eyes he felt watching him didn’t turn away, but Kirito couldn’t really blame them. He knew that he’d want to keep an eye on someone in his situation too - especially if he didn’t know whether that someone would go crazy and blow up at everyone. Kirito had a feeling that was what everyone was thinking: that he was an enigma at the moment, and no one knew what he would do. No one could tell if he was going to blow up or start crying or just sit there, and it scared them.  
It probably scared Asuna most of all. She was the one who knew exactly what Kirito was capable of. She had seen him kill a man with his bare hands in this world before, and she had witnessed him massacre monster after monster in the dungeons. Kirito hated the fact that he was probably scaring Asuna. He despised it even more than he loathed the attention that was placed on him in the moment.  
Kirito was still unable to grasp the concept of Asuna being pregnant with his kid, but he had made a decision on what to do right then. He had realized that his friend list must still be intact for Klein to be able to find him here, but there was no permanent silver ring on his finger, so he assumed that his marriage to Asuna must’ve been dissolved. Kirito breathed in deep, took his face out of his hands, and opened his menu, navigating to his friends list. He quickly scanned his friends list to note any changes that may have appeared. After finding none, he tapped on Asuna’s name in the list, then selected the Profile option. A window popped up, and he skimmed the information listed in the window before finally finding what he was looking for.  
“Marital Status: Unmarried” was what the window said near the middle of the window. Just below the “Vital Status: Alive” line near the top, there was the second thing he was looking for. “Active Effects” was the title above the table of effects currently affecting Asuna. Kirito read through the Table. “Skill Proficiency Gain Bonus - Duration: Indefinite”; “Agility Bonus - Duration: Indefinite”; “Hearing Boost - Duration: Indefinite”. All were listed before the effects Kirito was most interested in. “Pregnant: First Trimester - Duration: 26 Days Remaining”; “Mild Nausea - Duration: 21 Minutes Remaining” came after the three effects. The table ended after the fifth item, but it was enough to assure Kirito that Asuna was pregnant in this world as well as the real one.  
Kirito closed Asuna’s profile window, then switched over to the Communications menu. He selected the option at the bottom - “Marriage”, typed in Asuna’s name, then hit “Send”. He saw Asuna jump slightly as the marriage request opened in front of her. She blinked quickly for a moment or two before realizing what was going on. She exhaled audibly through her nose before reaching out and tapping an option. It must’ve been the accept option since a simple, silver ring appeared on both their fingers. Kirito smiled at her a little, but it was probably anything but reassuring. They needed some time to talk this out alone. They both knew that, but they also knew that alone time wouldn’t be possible for quite a while.  
Kirito was surprisingly calm. He would bet that it was only because he hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around the fact that Asuna was pregnant with his kid. The entire concept still felt so foreign to him.  
“Your mother and I want you to know that you aren’t alone. We’re going to be here for you no matter what, okay?” Kirito heard his father whisper in his ear. A hand was placed on Kirito’s shoulder for a brief moment before it withdrew.  
Kirito didn’t look up at his dad. Kirito didn’t respond either. He was silent and still - a statue if not for the quiet, even breaths he took. He felt like he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. Kirito didn’t lack things to say. He wanted to thank his father and mother; to apologize to Asuna for being so silent; to tell Asuna that he loved her, but he just couldn’t seem to find the words to express himself.  
Kirito’s calmness was starting to fade into a feeling of frustration and anger. He was trying his best to hide these new feelings that were overtaking him, but it was looking like he was failing. He didn’t want Asuna to think he was frustrated or angry with her when the reality was that those emotions were directed at himself. Kirito noticed Asuna’s older brother - his name was Kouichirou in the real world, but Kirito didn’t know his name in this one - edging between Kirito and Asuna. It only made Kirito even angrier at himself. He couldn’t even hide these emotions from someone he hardly knew.  
Kirito started to cry large, angry tears. He swiped at his eyes, furiously rubbing the tears away.  
“I’m such a… I’m such a damned idiot. Why am I such an asshole? I don’t want to scare anyone,” Kirito cried. He started to pull at his hair.  
“Onii-san, Kirito isn’t going to hurt me. I’m not in any danger. I promise,” Asuna tried to reassure her brother. Asuna and her brother started to talk quietly, their father joining in soon after the start of the conversation, but Kirito wasn’t able to hear what they were saying. He was distracted by his mother approaching him. She pulled him up out of the arm chair he was sulking in and hugged him tight.  
“You aren’t an idiot or an asshole. You’re frustrated and angry with yourself, I know, but I can promise you that you’re taking all this better than I expected,” Kirito’s mother - Miido was her username - told him gently. She cracked a small smile as she pulled back to see Kirito’s face.  
“You’re going to be such a great father. I just know it,” Miido said as she reached up and brushed some of Kirito’s tears away with her fingers. If only her words were enough to rid Kirito of the fears he didn’t dare voice.


	8. 1.1.8. - Unvoiced Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the plot really starts to go wrong, but I'm going with it.
> 
> Kirito thinks about what he and Asuna are going to do...

Miido had allowed Kirito to sit once again, and went to speak with Asuna, Asuna’s father - whose username had been revealed to be Shouzou - and Asuna’s brother - whose username was revealed to be Pik - leaving Kirito to think. He needed to figure out how this would work. How in the world would he care for Asuna, Yui, and both their families alone? He knew that Asuna’s family and his father would be the ones to need the most help getting started in this world, as they were not avid gamers like Leafa, Miido, Asuna, and Kirito, but he also knew that there was no way he could help everyone at once. He needed to keep an eye on Asuna and Yui - to protect them - as well as get everyone else on the path to surviving on their own in this world, but Kirito just couldn’t figure out how that would work. Getting people ready to be on their own would require training and hunting in the field, but keeping an eye on Asuna and Yui would mean staying in relative safety. It just didn’t match up.  
Kirito’s thoughts came to a jarring end when the yelling started.  
The small group consisting of Miido, Asuna, Shouzou, and Pik had previously been whispering, hiding their conversation, but that ended when Asuna’s patience ran out. She blew up at, presumably, Pik, yelling and waving her hands about.  
“Stop! Stop talking about him like that right now! Kirito hasn’t done anything wrong, and you know it, so stop talking about him like he’s some horrible person!” Asuna shouted.  
She was already angry, but what her brother said next only made things even worse  
“He’s done nothing wrong? Really?” Pik asked, his face clearly conveying his sarcasm. Asuna was ready to snap, but Pik didn’t seem to care in the slightest.  
Kirito got up from his seat in the armchair and strode towards the brewing confrontation. He got there right in time to stop Asuna from attacking Pik. Kirito grabbed her shoulders from behind just as she readied herself to leap at her brother. Kirito leaned down to whisper to her.  
“It’s okay. You don’t have to get angry for me. He’s just worried about you,” Kirito murmured into Asuna’s ear in an attempt to soothe her.  
Asuna ignored him, although she seemed less… violent. She wasn’t less angry, but she seemed less ready to rip someone’s head off.  
“And, what exactly _has_ Kirito done wrong? I don’t see anything that could make you think that way, so why don’t you explain yourself?” Asuna said to Pik. The edge of a threat was in her voice.  
Pik didn’t seemed to be fazed by the thought of earning Asuna’s ire. He must’ve not realized that Asuna’s in-game reputation was more than earned. Asuna could kill him without even trying if she so desired. Kirito only hoped that settlements were still considered safe-zones and people couldn’t be killed in them. If they weren’t, he would fear for Pik’s safety. Kirito knew that Asuna wouldn’t kill Pik no matter how angry she was, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t hurt him badly.  
Asuna was still expecting an answer from Pik. Asuna’s older brother sighed.  
“You deserve to know the truth about the man you love. He doesn’t seem interested in telling you so I might as well,” Pik said cryptically, “Kirigaya Kazuto is a murderer.”  
Asuna just blinked at Pik slowly.  
“Do you really think I didn’t know that Kirito has killed people? I was there when he killed them. Not to mention the fact that it was self-defense. I mean, seriously, do you really think that he’s a murderer for saving people?” Asuna was astonished at her brother’s way of thinking. Until Kirito’s grip on her shoulders tightened ever so slightly as he stiffened.  
“Asuna… I don’t think he’s talking about Sword Art Online…” Kirito admitted, “I think he’s- I think he’s talking about my granddad.”


End file.
